By Texas Homesteader ~
Between family illness, weather woes & garden changes I’ve gotten off to a slow start in the garden this season. But there are some very exciting gardening things I’ve enjoyed as well.
Let’s stroll through my NE Texas Homestead garden and see what’s going on…
by Texas Homesteader ~
You can make hummingbird food at home in minutes for a fraction of the cost of buying the commercial stuff. And it requires only two ingredients – sugar and water.
photo courtesy of Harrison Haines & Pexels
by Texas Homesteader ~
How will I protect baby rabbit kits in the nest from my dog’s killer instincts until they’re old enough to fend for themselves? See this rabbit’s nest guard I came up with to keep them safe. It was free using things I already had.
By Texas Homesteader ~
Hobby Beekeeping is enjoying quite a popular resurgence. Many people are becoming interested in raising their own bees, whether for pollination of their own gardens, that delicious honey, valuable beeswax or just to care for our beloved pollinators.
Today I’ll be talking about requeening our hive. There are many reasons a beekeeper might want to requeen their hives. Maybe their existing queen is older and not productive anymore. Or maybe over the years the bees in the hive have swarmed and requeened their colony so many times the hive is becoming more aggressive, or ‘hot’.
You see, each time the colony makes their own queen, she must make her maiden flight for breeding with the surrounding bees. Oftentimes those are wild bees and some might even have more aggressive Africanized bee influence.
If you have very many generations taking those steps you’ve gotten too much opportunity for aggressive characteristics to be introduced into your hive.
by Texas Homesteader ~
Do you wonder what you should store in your storm shelter for emergencies?
Here’s what we decided would be stocked (and what WOULDN’T) in our shelter and why.
by Texas Homesteader ~
My garden planning method each year is EASY! I’m quickly able to plan crop rotation, see what I planted and where last year, companion-planting notes, the 3 Sister’s Method and MORE! Come see how I decide what vegetables to plant each spring.
by Texas Homesteader
It was with high hopes in late winter that I planted my indoor greenhouse with my heirloom seeds. Those seeds sprouted into tiny seedlings and I anxiously planted them in my garden immediately after Easter (as is recommended in our planting zone 8 here in NE Texas.)
But the strange spring weather battled with my tender seedlings.
by Texas Homesteader ~
I’ve always heard in our area of NE Texas (planting zone 8) that you don’t dare plant until after Easter because a rogue frost can still swing through & kill your tender plants. Oh my goodness it was so hard for me to wait! So to pacify my need to garden I planted up my Indoor Greenhouse weeks ago. As I watched those tiny seedlings sprout I just got more excited.
Then I sat back & waited (im)patiently for Easter. Then the big day arrived, FINALLY I was able to plant – woo-hoo! Here is my April veggie garden update: